Kroger will close Hannibal, Louisiana stores in Missouri

Kroger Central Division leaders Thursday morning announced that the Kroger stores in Hannibal and Louisiana, Mo., will close at the end of the month.

According to a press release from the company, both stores will close effective Saturday, Oct. 27.

This announcement does not affect the Kroger store in Rolla or any other Kroger stores elsewhere in Missouri.
The Hannibal store employs two salaried management, plus 27 full-time and 21 part-time hourly associates.

The Louisiana store employs one salaried manager, plus 25 full-time and 26 part-time hourly associates. Some associates from the Louisiana store have the right to transfer to the Kroger store in Troy.

“Kroger’s highest priorities as a company are taking care of our associates and our customers,” said Bob Moeder, Kroger Central Division president. “We understand that this decision impacts both the local Hannibal and Louisiana communities.

“Prior to making this extremely difficult decision, we exhausted all other workforce, operational and merchandising options, including investing in the buildings and a 10 percent discount for associates and customers intended to increase customer traffic enough to make the stores profitable. Unfortunately, none of these efforts succeeded,” Moeder said.

“Some associates have the right to transfer to the store in Troy under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement. For qualifying associates, we have offered a severance as appropriate. We have leadership teams at each store, talking to associates individually and helping them work through decisions,” he added.

“We also will be communicating directly with our loyalty customers to try and support their shopping at our next closest store in Troy. Kroger remains committed to serving our valued customers in Warrenton, Troy and Rolla.”

The Kroger Central Division has 138 food stores, 115 pharmacies and 71 fuel centers operating under four banners — Kroger, Scott’s, Owen’s and Pay Less, with locations primarily in Indiana and Illinois, in addition to five stores in Missouri, one in Michigan and one in Ohio.